Suction cleaner



vJune 18, B. c. BECKER SUCTION CLEANER original Filed Aug. 15, 1932 [l IAIIHHIIIIIIII l Patented June 18, 1940 UNITED STATI-:s

SUCTION CLEANER Bernard C. Becker, Canton', Ohio, assigner to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a

corporation of vOhio j Continuation of application Serial No. 628,--'813,r August 15, 1932. This application January 29, 1934, Serial No. 768,893

Claims.

The present invention relates-to suction cleaners in general and more particularly to a new and improved suction cleaner embodying means to illuminate the surface covering undergoing 5 cleaning and articles of furniture positioned immediately forward of the cleaner, for the purpose of enabling the operator better to manipulate the machine and to discern foreign material in dark corners etc. which would 'otherwise escape observation. More specifically the present invention comprises the combination of an electric illuminator 4and the motor casing of the cleaner, the parts being so constructed as to direct the rays of an electric light embodied therein forward of the cleaner.

The present application is a continuation of application Serial No. 628,813, filed August 15, i932, now abandoned.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a suction cleaner embodying floor illuminatingl means. It is a further object to provide a suction cleaner in which electric illuminating means are formed upon the motor casing to illu- 'minate the nozzle and the adjacent covering.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering invconnection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring to the drawing. in which a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention is disclosed:

Figure l is a side view of a suction cleaner with the present invention embodied therein;

Figure2 is a bottom View of the upper remov- 'able portionl ofthe motorl casing with the illuminator embodied therein;

Figure 3 is a cross section through the' construction of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a partial side View of tie motor casing similarvto Figure l with -the guard-partially broken away.

I n the drawing the .present invention is shown embodied in a modern suction cleaner the body or housing of which comprises a nozzle I, aA fan' chamber 2, and an exhaust outlet' 3. To the latter a dirt receptacle' is removably attached by suitable securing means 5. The upright cylindrical motor-containing casing 6 is carried by the main casing being positioned immediately above the fan chamber and'in the rear of the nozzle I,

a shoulder` being formed at the .bottom of the casing. The cleaner is movably supported upon front wheels 'I and rear wheels 8, one of each being shown, the latter being provided with means. indicated generally by the .reference characier II. by which' they canbe raised and lowered (Cl. 24U-2) to effect the variation in the nozzle hemht above the surface covering undergoing cleaning.

In the suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention the motor casing 6 is formed of a lower section II and an upper section I2. The resulting casing encloses the motor frame I3 which carries the motor brush I4 which is adapted to contact the rotating armature I5 at its commutator. This construction is clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawing.

Integrally attached to the lower edge of section I2.of motor casing 6 is the floor illuminator guard comprising a hollow body I8 which is formed with an encircling band or collar I8y which Vseats the lower edge of section I2.

The hollow lamp guard body or visor is open at its rear side, as is the section I2 immediately` adjacent thereto. The openings are indicated by the reference character 2land open to the spacel within the guard body *a space within the section I2 the back of which is defined by an imaginary chord extended between thesidesv of the *openings. Within this enlarged space practically all of the illuminating means are positioned. excepting only the continuations of the current conductors hereinafter described The visor and casing section I2 are secured together by rivets I1, Il to form a unitary construction. y

The hollow body portion of the lamp guard-l being adapted to function as a reflector is trough shaped, the interior thereof being preferably whitened or polished forthe purpose of providing better refiecting qualities. Lamp guard I8 is entirely open at its forward side and is so shaped as to direct light beams forwardly and downwardly onto and in fr ont of nozzle I conning substantially all light rays to an angle below the horizontal. On one sidejwall of guard Il is mounted a cylindrical lampbase receptacle I9 which is shown attached to' guard Il though it may well be formed integrally. Y is secured in place through being provided with al threaded. bolt portion: through the guard wall and seats a nut Ib. A' light 20 is ,removably mounted in receptacle I9.' the two parts being removably heid together by a bayonet-socket relationship vindicated at 2I. Closely adjacent socket I9 is mounted a switch 22 through which passes Aone of the currentcarrying leads 23, 23 to enable the operator to turn the light 2l on or off. The leads 2l, 23 pass from the reflector Il through the opening 2l and are attached' to the motor being provided with suitable screw caps 25. 25 at their inner Socket` I9 I9a which extends ends whichA are adapted toiorm n lpart-ofthe u height thereof.

brush mounting i4 and to conduct electric current from that brush to the light.

To protect both the Illuminator and articles of furniture with which it may possiblycome into contact in the operation of the cleaner a furniture guard of resilient material is provided which encloses the edge of the visor I8, being indicated by thereference character 26.

The illuminator is so formed that it can be attached to a standard motor casing, it being necessary only to remove the casing section I2 from the casing section Il, to provide the opening 24 in its side and then to attach it to theband I6 of the illuminator body. When so attached the guard and lamp are disposed within the limits of the cleaner and do not increase the overall The light is protected by the cleaner nozzle from collision with vertical objects, such as table and chair legs and the substantial construction of the guard protects the lamp propel.

I claim:

1. A motor casing cap for a suction cleaner comprising a housing portion closed on one side and open on the other, a collar seating the edge of said housing at its open side and secured thereto, a reflector housing integrally formed on said collar and positioned at the side of said housing, an electric light detachably mounted in said reflector housing, current-carrying leads extending thru said housings and connected to said light, and a switch carried by said reflector housing and in the circuit of one of said currentcarrying leads.

2. A door Illuminator attachment for a suction cleaner including a metallic body formed as a housing having one open side and a circular collar formed thereon and extending laterally therefrom, said collar being adapted to seat a circular motor casing, the interior of said housing being finished to function as a reiiector and the exterior thereof being protected by an encircling rubber guard, an electric light removably carried in said housing, a manually operable switch carried by said housing and current-carrying leads connected to said light and of said housing, an electric light detachably' mounted in said reflector housing, current-carrying leads extending thru said housings and connected to said light, threaded caps carried by the inner ends of said leads adapted to be connected to motor brushes, and a switch carried by said reflector housing and in the circuit of said current-carrying leads.

4. A headlight for a suction cleaner comprising a recessed body portion formed as a reector, abulb socket carried at one end of said reector, a light bulb removably seated in said socket and displaceable through the open side of said deector, a switch carried I by said body portion having an operating handle positioned exterior-ly of said reflector, a collar formed integrally on said body portion extending rearwardly from said reector, said collar being formed withfan interior shoulder-adapted to seat an adjacent motor housing, and conductors connected to said socket and switch extending from said body portion to within said collar and adapted to be connected to a source of electricity.

5. An accessory for a suction cleaner comprising a circular band and a forwardly extending reflector housing, said circular band being adapted to seat on a portion of a motor casing, and having its interior surface counter-sunk to receive a complementary portion of said motor casing and forming an intermediate portion of the said motor casing, and a support for said reflector housing, said reector housing being adapted to receive and support a source of light and to conilne substantially all light rays to angles below the horizontal.

6. A domestic floor-cleaner having an ambulant wheeled frame including an electric motor, a fancasing and `a down-turned suction-nozzle. said motor being of cylindrical form with its axis upright and having a recess in its front side adjacent said nozzle, and an electric lighting device mounted in said recess. f

7. A domestic door-cleaner having an ambulant wheeled frame including an electric motor, a fan-casing, and a down-turned suction-nozzle, said motor having a cylindrical motor-casing formed with a tangential recess, and an electric lighting device of tubular form arranged with its longitudinal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical motor-casing and partially received in said recess.

8. 'I'he combination with a domestic type ambulant suction Hoor-cleaner including a wheeled fan-casing havingv a downturned transversely elongated suction-nozzle and a dust-discharge pipe and a suction fan-motor of cylindrical form superimposed upon and carried by said fancasing withits axis upright and formed in its front side below its top with a recess. of an electric lighting device mounted on said fanmotor below the top of the latter and above the fan-casing and partially received in said recess.

9. 'I'he combination with a domestic type ambulant suction floor-cleaner including a wheeled fan-casing having a downturned suction-nozzle and a shoulder above and in rear of said nozzle. and a suction fan-motor superimposed upon said fan-casing above and in rear of said shoulder and having a motor-shaft extending downwardly into said casing, of an electric lighting device recessed in the front side of said fan-motor below the top of the latter and above and in rear of said shoulder.

10. vA housing for an electric motor comprising a support portion, a cover portion, and an intermediate portion which overlies the adjacent edges of said support and cover portions and serves to cover the joint, said intermediate portion being formed with a hollow forward extension adapted to receive a light source and so shaped as to direct light rays ahead of said housing.

BERNARD C.v BECKER. 

